Electrically heated paint and paper softening tool



' p 1952 P. P. BERARDUCCI EI'AL 2,612,586

ELECTRICALLY HEATED PAINT AND PAPER SOFTENING TOOL Filed May 11, 1949 INVENTORS: PE TEE Pv BERARDl/CC/ A495 .4. .BERA/wz/cc/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 30, 1952 ELECTRICALLY HEATED PAINT AND PAP-ER SOFTENING TOOL Peter P. Berarducci, Plainvillc, and Albert L. Berarducci, Southington, Conn., assignors to B & L Tool & Machine Company, Plainville, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut 1 Application May 11, 1949, Serial No. 92,552

This invention relates to devices .for softening paint? or paper upon previously painted and papered surfaces, and more particularly to a portable tool having an electrically-heated flat surface for radiating heat upon the paint to be softened.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above naturewhich includes a baflle for shielding the operator from the radiant heat generated by the device.

Anotherobject is to provide a device of the above nature having means for spacing the device a. predetermined distance from the paint .or paper'to be softened. ---Another object is to provide a device of the above nature in which the temperature will be controlled by a thermostatic switch which is so arranged that substantially the same degree of heat will be radiated against said switch and against the painted or papered surface.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, andvery efiicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view, partlybroken away, showing the improved paint and paper softening tool.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the tool.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral I generally: indicates the improved tool, which comprises a shallow rectangular sheet metal casing H having a flat top wall 12, sidewalls I3, 14,. and av rear end wall It. Thelower edges of the side Walls 13, 14 are bent outwardly and then inwardly so as to provide inner grooves ll, 18 (Fig. 3). supporting upwardly oifset edges I9, 20- of a slidable flat bottom plate 2! which serves as a closure for the casing l I. v

The bottom plate 2! is provided with a vertical front wall l which serves as a closure for the:

6 Claims. (01. 219-21.)

front of the casing II and which is engaged by a pair of cars I5a, l5b upon the side walls [3, [4, whereby the bottom plate 2! will be retained in place.

The interior of the casing H is provided with a series of heating coils 22 which are formed of suitable electrical resistance Wire, and which are carried by mica supports 23, the ends of said series of coils 22 being connected to insulated terminal screws 24, 25 which extend upwardly through the rear portion of the upper wall l2.

The tool ill also comprises a flat supporting top plate or bafiie 26 which is secured in spaced parallel relation above the casing I I by means of front and rear brackets 21, 28 of inverted U- shape, said brackets being secured to the top wall l2 by means of four rivets 29,'and to said top supporting plate 26 by means of screws 30 and nuts 3|;

The supporting top plate 26 has an upwardlyinclined rearwardly-projecting end portion 32, to the lower side of which a broad lower end 33 of a handle 34' is attached by means of screws 35 and nuts 36. The handle 34"may be of wood or other. suitable head-insulating material and is handle 34 by means of the nuts 36 and which has a lower edge 38- disposed below the plane of the bottom plate 2 I.

The handle 34 is preferably provided with a reduced and rounded grip portion 39 so that it ma} be readily grasped by the user.

In order to: supply electric current to the resistance coils 22, provision is made of a two-wire cord 40, the outer end of which has an attachment plug 4! for connection to any suitable source of current, while the inner end of said cord extends through a central bore 42 in the handle 34. One wire 43 of the cord 40 is secured to the terminal screw 25 by means of a nut 44, while the other wire 45 is connected to a thermostatic switch 46 which is securedcentrally to the lower surface of the supporting plate or baflle 26, as by rivets or spot welding.

The thermostatic switch 46 is also provided with a wire 41 which is secured to the terminal screw 24 by means of a nut 48, thus connecting the switch 46 in series with the coils 22 so as to control the temperature of the tool [0.

In order to prevent the fingers, tools, or other foreign objects from accidentally coming into contact with the terminal screws 24, 25, provision is made of a three-sided shield 49 which extends in spaced relationship around the front and sides of said terminal screws. The shield 49 comprises an upper flange 50, whereby said shield is secured to the lower surface of the baflle 28 by any suitable means, such as welding.

Operation In operation, the attachment plug 4| will be first connected to a source of electriccurrent, whereupon the coils 22 will become energized so as to heat the casing H and the bottom plate 2|. The operator will then hold the tool ID by means of the handle 34 in such a position that the bottom plate 2| may radiate heat upon the paint or moistened paper to be softened.

The lower edge 38 of the angular support 31 will preferably engage the surfac of the paint or paper so as to serve as a rest for the tool and thus enable the operator to readily hold the bottom plate 2| at the desired distance from the wall.

During the operation of the tool the supporting top plate 26 will remain relatively cool, and

will serve as a baiiie so as to reduce greatly the quantity of heat which is radiated in the direction of the operators hand.

The thermostatic switch 46 will be operated by heat radiated from the casing and will control the electric current supplied to the resistance coils 22, and thus will maintain the plate 2| at the desired temperature.

Inasmuch as the paint or paper will be softened entirely by radiant heat, and the bottom plate will normally be held spaced from said paint, the tool may be moved readily over the surface to be softened, and will not be encumbered by softened paint or paper which might otherwise adhere to the bottom plate 2|.

After the paint or paper has been softened by the tool In, it may be removed by the use of any suitable scraper, not shown.

It will be understood however, that the operator mayuse the angular support 31 in some cases as a scraper if he so desires. a

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shownv for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims. 7

Havin thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a paint or paper softening tool, a casing having an electric heating means therein, a top supporting plate secured in spaced relation to the top of said casing, the space between said supporting plate and said casing beingopen at the sides of the tool, said supporting plate having an upwardly inclined flat end portion projecting ing a support secured to said handle and having a lower edge disposed below the plane of the bottom of said casing, whereby the operator may readily hold the tool in a position in which the bottom of said casing is spaced from the surface of the paint or the paper to be softened.

3. In a paint or paper softening tool, a casing having an electric heating means therein, the

rear portion of said casing being provided with a pair of upwardly projecting terminal screws connected to said electric heating means, a top supporting plate secured in spaced relation to the top of said casing, said supporting plate having an upwardly inclined flat end portion projecting outwardly of one end of said casing, a handle secured to the lower surface of said projecting portion in spaced relation to said casing,- and a shield extending in spaced relationship to opposite sides of said pair of terminal screws, said shield having a flange secured to the lower surface of said supporting plate and comprising sides terminating adjacent said handle whereby accidental contact with said terminal screws may be avoided.

4. In a paint and paper softening tool, a casing comprising side walls and a rear wall, a bottom plate slidably received in inner grooves adjacent the lower edges of said side walls, said bottom plate having a vertical front wall adapted to close the front of said casing and engaged by ears integral with said side Walls for holding said bottom plate in said casing, heating means in said casing, and a rearwardly-extending handle connected to said casing.

5.'In a paint and paper softening tool, a flat rectangular casing comprising a bottom plate and having heating means enclosed therein, a supporting plate secured in spaced parallel relationship to the top of said casing and extending over a major portion thereof, said supporting plate having a rear end portion projecting outwardly of and inclined upwardly at the rear end of said casing, a rearwardly extending handle attached at its forward end to the lower surface of the rear end portion of said plate in spaced rela: tionship to the rear end of said casing, and '12 depending angular support-attached to the lower surface of the forward end of said handle and having a lower edge disposed below the plane of said bottom plate. I

6. In a paint and paper softening tool, a fiat rectangular casing, comprising a bottom plate and having heating means enclosed therein, a supporting plate secured in spaced parallel relationship to the top of said casing and extending. over a major portion thereof, said supporting plate having a rear end portion projecting outwardly of the rear end of said casing and inclined upwardly, a rearwardly extending handle attached at its forward end to the'lower surface of the rear end portion of said plate "in spaced relationship to the rear end of said casmg, and a depending angular supporting stand attached to the lower surface of the forward Number Name fiat end 0! said handle. I 1 1,610,932 Cooper Dec. 14, 1926 PETER P. BERARDUCCL 1,699,898 Lightfoot Jan. 22, 1929 ALBERT L. BERARDUCCI. 1,789,269 Beach Jan. 13, 1931 5 1,881,241 Potensa -1 Oct. 4, 1932 REFERENCES CITED 2,223,331 Roesch et a1 Nov. 26, 1940 The following references are of record in the 2,256,643 Sept- 1941 fil of t t t; 2,263,222 Morns NOV. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENTS m 2,2 2, Waage A 1 4 Number Name Date FOREIGN E T 1,067,869 Falkenberg July 22, 1913 Number Country Da e 1,1 7,320 Kuhn Aug. 18, 1914 74,125 Norway Mar. 2, 1946 1,534,953 Hohman Apr. 21, 1925 124,305 Switzerl nd Mar. 1, 1928 

